This month, the United States missile destroyer Zumwalt (DDG-1000) returned to the shipyard in Pascagoula, Missouri, for an overhaul and modernisation that will include installing the conventional agile strike hypersonic missile system used by the United States military.
The US Navy states that the Zumwalt will be the most advanced and successful battleship in the country’s fleet after this upgrade. The United States Navy has said that by 2025, all Zumwalt-class warships will have hypersonic weapons.
Lockheed Martin has revealed that it will start ship-based testing of hypersonic missiles in 2024. The company is now building launchers, weapon control systems, and other components for the project. The United States Army and the United States Navy are working together to develop a missile to field this weapon before the end of the year.
This month, another contract to modernise the Zumwalt, worth $1.55 billion, was presented to Ingalls Shipyard, which had previously been awarded a contract worth $105 million.
As a part of its inaugural deployment, the Zumwalt finished an operational deployment that lasted three months and took place in the Western Pacific. This operation included several combat activities that were both joint and bilateral.
It is anticipated that the Zumwalt will complete its deployment in 2026 or 2027, and it will do so while operating under the direction of the United States Seventh Fleet and the Indo-Pacific Command.
